Rising from the Ashes
Chapter 23

Elenora had climbed out of bed before the sun had risen to make Nakoa breakfast.. He had left early yesterday to arrive and he had stayed until today which means he will probably be extra busy. Vermont always had something he had to deal with. Elenora imagines it is a lot different for Nakoa. Half of what Vermont did was kill all of his problems.

If there was a thief. Kill the thief and then kill the snitch.

Vermont was charming like that.

Nakoa's scent hits her first and for a moment she pauses in preparing his coffee to enjoy it. A nice mixture of the forest and something spicy. "Did you make breakfast?" His arms comes to wrap around her waist and he kisses her on the cheek.

"And coffee." Elenora picks up the fresh cup and turns around in his embrace. He is smiling at her. Nakoa seems unable to stop smiling lately. In fact, she seems unable to stop smiling herself. Everything has been almost perfect. Peaceful in a way.

"May I?" Elenora nods and his lips collide with hers. It is slow and sweet and why is he already pulling away? "Thank you." He smiles before grabbing the coffee and sitting at the table. Mia arrives moments after him with a long yawn that has Nakoa yawning and then unfortunately herself as well.

"You are the love of my life Nora. The love of my life. As the humans would say, marry me!" For a moment Elenora is taken back to life in the forest with Mia. Mia used to say that every time she went hunting and brought back something big.

"You are too late I'm afraid. She told me she would mate with me." Nakoa grins before digging into his healthy serving of waffles. Mia had already loaded quite a bit on her plate and she had helped herself to the fruit as well. Elenora sticks to four waffles like a normal person.

"Wait!" Mia drops the fork and knife she had been holding before looking up at the two of them "Slow all the way down. Did you just say she told you she would mate with you as in mark you? As in Nakoa Bardrick I take you as my mate in front of hundreds of people? As in no more running and no more I can't do this and no more-"

"Yes Mia," Elenora interrupts and the smile spreads on her own face. She can feel Nakoa's eyes on her "We will be having our ceremony. Not the Luna ceremony yet but definitely the mating ceremony though I don't think it is necessary to have hundreds of people there. Is it?" Elenora turns to Nakoa who is looking at her like she just handed him the world. It's making her nervous.

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable. Perhaps the people closest to us, the King included." Elenora turns to him so she can argue that. The King at her Mating ceremony? Hell no! Anybody but that no good, selfish, arrogant, tyrant- Except his eyes are begging her not to argue that one request.

He had visited the King throughout his entire childhood. The King is who he has gone to for advice, for council. The King is family to him. Elenora would not be surprised if Nakoa calls him Uncle behind closed doors. "The King included." Elenora utters her agreement softly.

"Alright a lot is happening right now and I haven't even had coffee. We really need to talk so you can catch me up on everything Nora." Mia stands and heads over to the coffee pot. It is not long at all before Charlotte is joining both the breakfast table and the conversation.

"I am not calling you Daddy." She tells Nakoa "Just so we're clear. She's my Mom. You're Alpha Bardrick. That's how it will stay." With that she grabs the plate of eleven waffles and dumps the rest of the fruit on top. Then she sprays a bunch of whip cream on them before moving to the fridge and coming back with orange juice and chocolate syrup.

For some reason it looks very appetizing "Can I not be Nakoa or will I forever be stuck at Alpha Bardrick?" Nakoa asks sounding more curious than anything else.

Charlotte seems to think about this for a moment "You're stuck buddy." She says before digging into her large pile of waffles. She goes for the orange juice but Mia is quick to tug the carton out of her hands and replace it with a glass.

"Use a glass young lady! I happen to like my orange juice without your slobber"

The rest of breakfast goes quite normally which is to say it is all very weird. Everything seems to be happening too fast for Elenora to keep track of and her mind keeps going back to the forest. It is spring now. What would she be doing? She would most likely be out hunting while Mia washes what is left of the clothes the best she can. She would have come back to freshly prepared traps. Then she and Mia would have trained. That is something she hasn't done in awhile. It is not really all that necessary anymore but maybe Mia might be open to the idea of continuing it. Even before she had turned rogue, she had trained almost everyday. It did not matter the injuries marring her body. Elenora would train.

It kept her prepared.

Elenora would have prepared the meat and sold what she could in the closest town afterwards. It was the best way to get some good side money for new clothes. Every year they would get two outfits, some fresh material, and a treat. The rest would go into savings for when a motel was absolutely necessary. This only happened during the winter months and just after the Kings speeches.

Elenora catches Marcella's feelings on the matter. Her wolf is quite happy here, especially with her mate next to her, but even she holds a certain kind of longing for the peaceful forest. "Elenora!" Nakoa grabs her hand and turns her to face him "Are you alright? We were calling for you." Nakoa frowns, his eyes roaming her head to toe as if trying to find some issue.

"I apologize. I was just thinking." Nakoa doesn't seem reassured so Elenora leans over to peck his lips "Everything is alright my beloved. I swear it." His eyes seem to soften. They do not turn red this morning but the flecks seem to glow. It is almost like the two sides of him are in sync with each other. He has not quite lost control but instead he is embracing both his vampire side and his werewolf side. It is such an odd thing to see. Usually he is at battle with himself.

Elenora finds she prefers this the most. "I was just telling you it is time for me to go. I need to talk to Moros and then to Adam as well."

"Very well. Do you want to drop me off on the way? I was hoping to stop by the shop today to clean out my desk. I was actually going to ask you if you would like to come with Mia." Mia merely nods, her eyes darting between Nakoa and I. They definitely need to catch up. Maybe they should train in the mornings. It might make it easier to spend some much needed time with her best friend.

"Of course I can." Nakoa smiles before standing with another kiss to her cheek. Once again Elenora's mind goes to the past. This time it is a past of them. They were hardly able to stay apart when they visited Stonebridge. Elenora is shocked they did not end up mating then with the lack of self control they both displayed. Just like that memorable trip, Elenora finds it hard to keep away from her mate. Unlike the trip, it is not lust she feels around him. It is something much more. Something pure. Something beautiful.

Elenora watches Nakoa disappear around the corner and then she is pulled into a conversation with one grumpy girl. It is possibly one of the few things that had stayed the same. Charlotte is not a morning person. "Sure mom! I would love to go! Thank you for thinking of me." Charlotte grumbles, stabbing the last bite of waffles.

"You were not invited because you have homework and I want it done before I get back."

Charlotte groans in response "I was hoping to see the ruins you were talking about before. Aren't you supposed to try and get me to love Bloodmoon so we can move? How am I supposed to love it if you never let me see it?"

"Homework Charlotte. End of story." Elenora narrows her eyes at the young girl who narrows them right back. They spend a long minute like this before Charlotte huffs and turns away with crossed arms.

"Hold up! There are ruins in his pack? Old ones? Are they made of stone? Do they go underground?"

"There are ruins and I personally will not be going to see them today. If I can I would like to take Charlotte with me when she does not have other things to occupy her time." That seems to cheer Charlotte up though not much. She still seems quite irritated that Elenora will be going to Bloodmoon without her. "Now hurry up and get ready Mia. Nakoa has a lot to do and I prefer not to keep my mate waiting on us too long."

With that it is just the two of them. For a moment it is silent. It is a comfortable sort of silence "Are you happy Mom?" Charlotte looks up, her green eyes bright with something Elenora can't seem to name. Elenora manages a slow nod and Charlotte smiles "Then I guess Alpha Bardrick isn't all that bad." With that Charlotte leaves the room. For a moment Elenora can only sit and think that over before smiling and standing to clean up the mess. Mia will only be a moment and then they can leave.

They had been talking about the old ruins before they pulled up to the border. Nakoa had thought it absolutely necessary to stop and show them to Mia. Mia will have an ID card that will allow her full access into the pack with two warriors tailing her at all times. All that said, it is still better to show them her face just in case. Since Moros has spent quite a bit of time at the border it is him we are taking her to. Elenora might have left out the fact that Moros was the Beta of the pack. Instead Moros is known as the man who has kept the ruins in good condition since he was a mere boy.

Is it wrong to keep his rank a secret from Mia? Definitely. Mia will not be happy. Will it help them get into the pack without any trouble and or fear? Absolutely. Hopefully Mia won't stay mad at her for too long. "Moros!" Nakoa shouts to get the Beta's attention who swings towards the vehicle quite alarmed. His eyes seem to be wide as he sniffs the air. Something is wrong though what Elenora can't seem to figure out. He rushes towards Nakoa at an unexpected speed that seems to surprise her mate as well.

"Is something wrong?" Elenora asks Nakoa only to find it is not Nakoa he had rushed to at all but Mia instead.

"Moros?" Mia's small voice questions, sounding quite hoarse. Elenora slowly turns in her seat to face Mia's red face and the large Beta's soft eyes. Mia doesn't seem scared which in itself is odd. Though she does not know his rank, he is still a very large man with bulging muscles and tatted arms. Usually that is all it takes for Mia to want to stay clear. "You are the man Alpha Bardrick was talking about on the way here." She tries for a smile "You are the one preserving the ruins here right? I was hoping to visit them though I am not sure we will be doing that today. I wanted to but Nora wants to take Charlotte with her and I definitely want to go with Nora. I think it might be cool to see. You know all about the old ruins right? How old are they? Did you really start taking care of them at eight? What made you like them so much? Would you like to go with us? You're probably sick of them by now and you must be so very busy and-"

"I would love to go." Moros interrupts. He is smiling, his eyes softer than they usually are.

Mia is going to kill her when she finds out Moros is the Beta of Bloodmoon but now it seems like the worst possible time to tell her. Nakoa seems frozen in his spot. He too seemed to have figured out what is going on. Beta Burton does not look away from a red faced Mia as he addresses Nakoa. "Perhaps I can ride with you guys while I brief you on the border, Alpha."

"Of course." Nakoa nods and he seems too stunned to do anything but put the car in drive and continue on.

"Perhaps I should introduce myself?" Beta Burton breaks the silence that had followed after he climbed beside Mia. Something tells Elenora he is not going to brief Nakoa while Mia is in the car. Mia seems to have his undivided attention "I am B-"

"Burton!" Elenora shouts the interruption. Mia is going to absolutely hate her for that "His name is Moros Burton and I think you'll love him Mia. Absolutely love him." Elenora can feel Nakoa's eyes on her just as she sees Mia's suspicion.

"Yes." Beta Burton confirms, only looking a little irritated "I'm the B-"

"Bastard of the pack but they love him anyways." Elenora interrupts once again.

"Actually both my parents are mated. I think you are mistaken me for your mate." Beta Burton states, his eyes now reluctantly trained on Elenora as if to ask her what the hell she is doing. Elenora will definitely tell Mia about his rank. Definitely. Except she sort of wants Mia to spend at least fifteen minutes with him before deciding she wants to stick to her I hate all Beta's thing. Beta Burton is her mate! Her mate! Surely Mia will be able to see why she had done this. She just wants Mia to be happy and she had longed for a mate since she was a young girl. She will understand won't she? Besides, Beta is just a title isn't it?

Except it is not? Isn't that the reason it took so long for her to accept her own mate bond? Nakoa is an Alpha and a small part of her had feared him for that. Just like Mia, she had her reasons to be cautious of Alpha's except Mia had never deceived her.

"Nora. I love you, truly I do but if you could let him finish one sentence that would be fantastic." Elenora can only manage a nod towards her friend. Thankfully ranks do not get brought up again and the rest of the car ride goes quite smoothly. Mia seems to like her newfound mate quite a bit and she doesn't seem at all intimidated by his size and or his tattoos. In fact she had spent most the ride asking about the art on his arm. The distance between the two of them seemed to close quite fast. When they pulled to a stop Mia didn't seem to want to leave the vehicle and neither did Moros who had been passionately talking about his love for history. He was going on about the first Alpha's of this pack and their budding relationship with the King himself who wasn't the King at the time but a mere prince. That really tells you just how old this pack is. They are talking about the previous King. Elenora can hardly imagine the man a prince just as it is odd to her that he is no longer King.

"I have to ask Moros." Beta Burton smiles as she utters his name "You don't mind that I'm a rogue right? I know mates have rejected-"

"I do not mind at all." Beta Burton interrupts, his eyes flicker to Elenora for just a moment. Instantly Elenora sinks in her seat. Mia is not going to be happy with her "I have to ask if my Beta title will be a problem for you." Elenora feels Nakoa's eyes on her as the air in the car takes a change. In seconds fear, pure unadulterated fear fills the car. Elenora hears Mia as she stops breathing for a moment. She hears her slowly inch away from Beta Burton. "B-" She doesn't even finish the word. Mia gulps and Elenora hears her fumbling with the car handle and she imagines Mia's hands shaking.

"Mia-"

"Please don't touch me Beta Burton." It breaks her heart, the way Mia's voice trembles.

"Please." And the Beta's voice cracks

Finally Mia climbs out of the vehicle only to fall. She rushes into the shop and slams the door shut so hard the glass on the door shatters. Elenora can make out her rushing behind a shelf and ducking down as if to hide. "I understand your interruptions now." Beta Burton whispers, staring at the broken door of the shop. "Is there something I can do?"

"I will talk to her Beta Burton." Elenora manages before leaning over to Nakoa and kissing him on the cheek. He still seems quite stunned at what had just taken place. Elenora turns towards the Beta who looks almost broken in a way. She doesn't think about her actions before she does it. It is almost an instinct within her. To comfort. She reaches for Beta Burton's hand and grabs it "I was scared of Nakoa at first, Beta Burton." Elenora tells him and she ignores the way Nakoa looks to her "I didn't look it and I didn't even admit it to myself but I was scared of him. An Alpha can control. An Alpha can get away with whatever they want and I was a mere rogue. If my wolf didn't scent mark him, I would probably hate him. I am forever grateful to my wolf."

Beta Burton swallows "We didn't do that. She just hates me." Hate? No Mia does not hate the Beta and he knows that. It is much worse than that. Mia fears him.

"She adored you for fifteen minutes."

"Twenty. I drove slow." Nakoa corrects and Elenora cannot help her smile.

"Even better. She will come around Beta Burton. Believe me." With that Elenora squeezes Nakoa's hand before stepping out of the vehicle to face Mia who will definitely be upset with her. Reasonably so. If the situations were reversed, Elenora would be furious.

I would have had this chapter published much sooner but I got on my laptop earlier this morning to find the whole thing deleted. To say I was...displeased would be the understatement of the year. None the less, here to is! Enjoy!

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